I'm back! First off, we'll discuss why I haven't been as consistent with the podcast.

Then, we'll take a look at an article about a shocking spider discovery in a cave on the Greece-Albanian border.

Finally, in our main topic, we'll discuss what to tell people who say that we're "abusing" our tarantulas by keeping them in smaller enclosures. 

First, we discuss a rather ridiculous care sheet that someone sent me, which was posted by a pet store.

Then, we discuss a new trapdoor spider species identified in California.

For our main topic, I'm going to share care and behavior notes on one of the most unjustly villainized spiders in the hobby...the Heteroscodra maculata or "Togo Starburst Baboon." 

First, we'll disuss the current seizure of smuggled tarantulas at an airport.

Then, I'll discuss tips and care notes for one of the hobby's most popular species, the C. cyaneopubescens or GBB!

Recently, I was chatting with a fellow keeper about some of the almost "foolproof" slings that are easy to raise to adulthood. These are the species that don't start off too tiny, eat great, grow fairly quickly, and are quite hardy overall.  After giving it some thought, I realized that there are several species that fit this bill. In this episode, I'll discuss 10 tarantula species that are easy to grow up from spiderlings! 

Every once in a while, someone will get the wrong idea from something I've said. Unfortunately, I don't always draw a hard line when it comes to many topics, which can apparently leave my personal view on some subjects up to interpretation. In this episode, I’ll discuss my thoughts on two topics that have come up quite a bit recently and try to clarify my views on them. 

Tarantulas may be very easy to keep and low maintenance, but they sure have a tendency to do things slowly and on their own schedules. In this episode, we talk about some common hobby situations that require that keepers show patience.

Well, since we spent a previous episode talking about some of the more diminutive species I keep, I figured that it would be fun to talk about the giants in this episode! What are the biggest tarantulas in my collection? In this episode, you'll find out. 

First, I talk a bit about a recent mishap that I had involving one of my slings. 

Then, although I've created a few sling guides, I've had a lot of folks ask me for specific advice on how to raise the tinies of slings. In this episode, I share some of the tips and tricks I use when growing up the wee ones. 

I take a lot of ribbing for saying that every species of tarantula I talk about is "one of my favorites." The truth is, I've enjoyed keeping every species I've ever raised. However, over the years, many folks have asked if there is any species that I don't like, and the answer is...complicated. In this podcast, I talk about the species that I failed to appreciate at first but that I grew to love. 

I often get folks asking me to do a podcast or video on the many dwarf tarantulas out there. Well for years I struggled to put one together because a) there are so many out there that I haven't kept and b) there is a lot of debate over what constitutes a "dwarf" tarantula. In this episode, I talk about the smaller species of spiders that I've kept and my experience with them. 

Yes, I think that all tarantulas should be given water dishes. However, in the great debate over whether they are "needed" or not, some important points are often overlooked. In this episode, we talk about creating a system to keep your tarantulas adequately hydrated. 

Way back in November of 2018, I decided to make a list of the top 15 favorite tarantulas in my collection. At that time, I freely admitted that the list would likely change as time went on (heck, I wanted to change it shortly after posting it!). Well, in this episode, I revisit the question "which are your favorite tarantulas" and put together another list of my current 15 current favorites! 

We've all been there...after discovering an unwanted pest, you recognize that the time has come to treat for it. Whether it be roaches, fleas, lice, or even ants, we all panic at the thought of an exterminator coming in and spraying chemicals that could kill our pets. In this episode, Billie joins us to discuss her experience as a pest control company manager treating various critters as safely as possible. 

When making their wish lists, many hobbyists identify spiders like Old World tarantulas and giant tropicals that they'd like to keep one day, but don't currently feel ready to do so. Although some folks can just jump right into the deep end with an "advanced" species, others want to take their time to gain experience with other spiders before making the jump. In this episode, I'll share some of the tarantulas that I think make good stepping-stones to keeping the more advanced species.  

In this episode, we discuss ten hazards keepers should be aware of when keeping tarantulas. 

I often get asked how long a certain species of tarantula lives for, and I sometimes struggle with the response as there are many variables that can lead to longer or shorter lifespans. I also think that some hobbyists set themselves up for disappointment when they assume that their spider will live to the older estimates given online. In this episode, I discuss my feeding regimes over the years as well as the lifespans of some of the tarantulas I've raised from slings to death from "old age." It's my hope that this will kickstart a discussion over what realistic lifespans are in captivity. 

Back in 2019, I was a guest on the Animals at Home Podcast, and I had an absolute blast talking to the host, Dillon, about the tarantula hobby. At the end of the interview, we agreed that should Dillon ever decide to get his first tarantula, we should get back together to answer some of his questions.

Well, a full pandemic later, and that time has come!

In this episode, Dillion and I discuss some of the questions that he has before he makes the big jump.

You can find Animals at Home on YouTube , The Animals at Home Network, or anywhere you listen to your podcasts.  

The third part of the Tarantula exam series is here! This time around, we have some scenarios about tarantula care as well as some involving other aspects of the tarantula hobby. Enjoy! 

Okay, so I'm not really going to try to sell folks on keeping curtain-web spiders, but I do think that many tarantula keepers would find a lot to love about these huge, heavily-webbing spiders. In this episode, I discuss their care, setup, and temperament and explain why I think that they make awesome spiders to keep.

Dipluridae feeding compilation

Old World tarantulas - they're "aggressive", they're "dangerous", and they're "deadly"...right?

WRONG. 

In this episode, we'll discuss Old World tarantulas and their bad reputation.  I will share my experiences with keeping Old Worlds as well as some tips for minimizing any risk when working with this misunderstood an unfairly villianized group of spiders. 

In this episode, we talk about care for the genus Brachypelma and I share my observations on the species that I currrently keep. 

Part two of my discussion with veterinarian Dr. Andy Anderson. In this episode, he discusses:

• Injuries that he's treated
• The "Tarantula ICU"
• Tarantula Euthanasia 
• The state of veterinary medicine in the US
• How to find a vet for your spider

Well, it has FINALLY happened. Dr. Andy Anderson and I were finally able to connect to chat about tarantula care, and man it was well worth the wait. In this episode, Dr. Anderson talks about tarantula medical topics like:

• DKS symptoms and causes
• Dehydration 
• Impaction 
• Molt issues
• Nematodes

In part 2 next week, Dr. Anderson will discuss injuries he's treated and their causes, tarantula ICUs, and the state of invert veterinary medicine in the US.

You can find Dr. Andy Anderson at Shiloh Veterinary Hospital!

First, we start off by discussing listener comments from last week's fossorial episode. Then, I go through some of the changes that I've made in my husbandry and setups and explain why I made these changes. 

In this episode, we'll discuss the growth rates and current legspans of the largest tarantulas in my collection. 

It's a fossorial blow out! Well, not quite...but in this episode, I talk about the care, setup, and maintenance for our beloved "pet holes". 

What are some ways to organize and manage the expenses of a growing tarantula collection? How can you ensure that caring for your animals doesn't become a burden? In this episode, suggested by listener EarthsGeomancer, I discuss the following points.

• Labeling T enclosures
• Record keeping
• Scheduling
• Being time efficient and making time for other hobbies
• Tracking and inventorying feeders, substrate, containers, and other supplies
• Avoiding burnout due to the more repetitive requirements of the hobby

A huge thanks to EarthsGeomancer for the Suggestion!

Note: The tarantula keeper collection aps. discussed in this podcast are ExotiKeeper and Arachnifiles. 

...or, my creative way of trying to answer a bunch of common questions in an entertaining year-in-review format!

Seriously, while trying to figure out a fun way to answer some of the questions I get about my favorite, or largest, or shyest, or WHATEVER tarantulas, I came up with the idea of a fake award show! Hopefully, folks find this entertaining (and not too embarrassing), and it becomes an annual tradition. Awards to be given are:

1. Tiny Diamond Award (Most Gorgeous Slings)
2. The Queen Memorial Award for Pet Rock of the Year
3. Webber of the Year (To the Spider with the Most Webbing)
4. Pet Dirt Award for The Most Shy and Elusive Spider
5. The “Better Put Me in Your Will” Award for Slowest Growing Spider
6. Enclosure of the Year Award
7. Biggest Surprise of the Year
8. In Memoriam - The Spiders We Lost This Year
9. The Pitbull Award for Most Aggressive Spider
10. The “Hey, Wait…That’s Not a Tarantula” Award for Favorite Non-Spider Critter
11. The Tarantula Titan Award for Largest Spider
12. Eight-Legged Jewel Award (Most Beautiful Spider)
13. Spider of the Year

Feel free to share your own!

First, I read and discuss some comments from listeners about last week's episode. Then, I give some updates on my Ephebopus species. 

To start the New Year, I got to thinking about what aspects of the hobby tend to give new tarantula keepers the most trouble. In this episode, I share five points that would make the hobby easier and less stressful for those just starting it. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope that everyone had a safe holiday season. To begin this episode, I'll talk about the mysterious case of my dying E. murinus juvenile. Then, we'll discuss the care for Pseudhapalopus sp. blue. 

We've all been there. When people find out that we choose to keep tarantulas as pets, the questions inevitably start flying. Some of them are good questions. Others? Not so much. In this episode, we talk about the questions tarantula keepers are most commonly asked. 

One of the reasons tarantulas are such easy pets is because they are relatively clean animals. That said, there are times when a cleaning, either partial or in full, is warranted. In this episode, we'll discuss the when and how to clean our spiders' enclosures when needed. I also share some tips about how to clean up those delicate acrylics without scratching them all up. 

In this this episode, I share some observations on three species of Thrixopelma, a very underrated genus. 

Well, it was "recently" made public that another once popular tarantula dealer has disappeared after taking a WHOLE lot of money from unsuspecting customers.  While some folks seemed to be surprised by the fact that this individual was shady, they shouldn't have been. There was evidence 18 months ago that this dealer was trying to skirt the law by selling so-called "hybrid" Sri Lankan Poecilotheria species, and after I did a podcast about it, even more info came out. In this episode, talk about how these bad vendors manage to operate so long even after word starts to leak out that they may not be as reputable as they seem. We also discuss some tips to protect yourself when shopping online for tarantulas.

Have you been impacted? Find more info about the Facebook group HERE.

After I injured my shoulder, I had to have my son, Roane, help me with basic feeding and maintenance. It got me thinking about how important it is for hobbyists to plan for an event that leaves them unable to care for their animals. In this episode, we'll discuss what such planning might look like.

Well, it's 34 degrees out and the heat has kicked on, so it's that time of year again! With temperatures dropping, tarantula keepers have a few new things to worry about when it comes to their animals. In this episode, we discuss 10 issues keepers might encounter during wintertime. 

In this episode, we discuss care for the genus Aphonopelma. 

In this episode, I share all of the info and tips I can think of when it comes to buying and raising tarantula slings.

So, last week's episode certainly made some waves! To kick this one off, I'll share some comments I received about tarantula sales laws in other countries. Then, we'll tackle some questions and comments on last week's episode, including one by a very angry breeder.  Sadly, it wasn't the only one that I received. In this episode, I use this negative feedback to clarify and to better articulate the message that I'm trying to get out there.

Note: To clarify a point, when Brazil declared to USFWS that they had not allowed the legal exportation of any species of tarantulas from their country, by letter of law from the Lacey Act, this made any species endemic only to Brazil illegal to own in the US.  However, the USFWS has yet to enforce that part of the law and is being VERY reasonable in recognizing that many of these species have been bought and traded for years. However, if we continue to ignore the laws they ARE currently enforcing, that could all change. 

After the last podcast, I had several folks email me about the legalities of ordering Sri Lankan Poecilotheria species across state lines. In this episode, we will examine some of the other legal issues folks in the US need to be aware of so that they are not tricked into breaking the law by unscrupulous dealers. 

Then, we disuss feeding schedules and why it is never one-size-fits-all. 

In this episode, Erin Cashel and Emile Weber join me to talk about the Tarantula Sustainment Project, a new initiative to grow breeding in the US and to ensure all species remain available from state to state.

Want to take part? Just click this link!

First, we talk about the new "Tarantula Capital of the World", La Junta, Colorado where citizens are embracing their local tarantula population in an amazing way.

Then, it's International Poecilotheria Appreciation Day! Okay, I might have made that up... However, I've made it very well known how much I adore this genus, and it bothers me that so many folks have been completely turned off to ever keeping one due to their bad reputation. In this episode, I share some tips to make the first time pokie keeper's experience a bit less intimidating.

Click here to read the article about La Junta! 

Tarantulas are some of the easiest and most low-maintainance pets a person can keep.  However, for those used to spending more time caring for more domestic animals, this aspect of the hobby can be the cause of some anxiety. In this episode, we discuss some situations that lead stressed out keepers to "over care" for their spiders. 

To kick this episode off, we will discuss some listener comments from last week's episode that reveal another potentially overlooked threat to our pets.

Then, we talk about the pros and cons involved with keeping pet tarantulas as we try to explain why we are so captivated by this hobby.

Want to comment on this episode? Click here to go to the new podcast website! 

First, we're going to start off this episode by talking about some comments on the All Male Review episode.

Then, we all make mistakes. However, when an error leads to the death of one of our spiders, how do we get over it?

Want to comment on this episode? Click here to go to the new podcast website! 

NOTE: In the podcast, I refer to Pamphobeteus sp. Duran as Phormictopus sp. Duran. This was an error on my part! Also, it's lion CUBS, not kittens.

This was supposed to be up for Father's Day, but I blew out my shoulder!

First, we discuss the last podcast. Then, we hear about a woman who got envenomated by a black widow through her EYE. Finally, for our main topic, we'll discuss tarantula males.

In this episode, we discuss mature males and whether or not it's okay to be picky about who you send your males to and whether it's okay to keep your mature males.

Want to comment and upvote this podcast? Then join me at Onpodium. 

First off, we go back to last week's podcast about the slowest growing species and find out which species listeners named as thier slowest.

Then, we talk about enclosure sizes for various stages of tarantulas.

Want to comment and upvote this podcast? Then join me at Onpodium. 

In this episode, I talk about the species that I've raised that seemed to take forever to grow up.